Ugly Christmas sweater store pops up on new Dallas corner

Ugly Christmas sweater store pops up on new Dallas corner

That Ugly Christmas Sweater Store is back, this time at Preston Oaks Shopping Center.
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Cover your eyes: the ugly Christmas sweater is back. With the advent of the holiday season comes that essential shopping experience known as the ugly Christmas sweater store, and Dallas' primary player, That Ugly Christmas Sweater Store, has reemerged in a new location.

According to Mindi Kahn, who owns the store with her brother Michael Levine, the store has signed a lease in Preston Oaks Shopping Center, at Preston Road and Royal, just down from Central Market. They're taking over a space that was a Justice tween girls' clothing store, which closed last year.

"Last year, we were at Lovers and Inwood, but that space is now Susan Saffron Jewelry," Kahn says. "We wanted to be in the same general area, and now we're in a bustling center, next to Central Market."

Ugly Christmas sweaters, aka tacky Christmas sweaters, have been a tongue-in-cheek hipster trend for several years, emerging first as an ironic theme for holiday parties, with gear procured from used-clothing stores such as Salvation Army and Goodwill.

Temporary stores dedicated entirely to selling the gaudy sweaters then begun to set up camp, not unlike other seasonal goods such as Halloween stores and Christmas tree lots. Dallas, always the shopping mecca, has been on the forefront of the trend, with numerous pop-ups in the past few years.

More recently, the trend moved to regular retailers such as H&M and Nordstrom.

Kahn says that they'll continue their relationship with Texas Scottish Rite Hospital through a toy drive and by donating a portion of sales to the hospital. They'll also continue their "ambassador" program with local high schools including Greenhill, St. Marks, Hockaday, ESD, Parish, Highland Park, and Hillcrest, to help collect toys.

"We have over 10,000 sweaters this season," she says.

Opening date is November 18, and the store will be open daily through December 27.